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Loch Lomond’s wild camping ban is a backwards and short-sighted step

New restrictions are unfair and could encourage landowners to restrict access to the full glory of the Scottish wilderness

When it comes to wild camping (pitching a tent away from the confines of a designated campsite), Scotland has always been forward-thinking. This was enshrined in the Land Reform Act of 2003, which allowed people to wild camp – free of charge – pretty much anywhere in the awe-inspiring countryside. Sadly this right has just been severely compromised.

On 1 March, Loch Lomond and the Trossachs national park, a 45-minute drive from Glasgow, introduced a by-law that made swathes of the west shore of the loch off-limits to all wild campers between 1 March and 30 September. The reason cited is antisocial behaviour such as littering. Park officials say these new measures are designed to protect this special place for others. Sounds good, I hear you say.